this post was submitted on 19 Nov 2025
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Technology

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Mastodon CEO steps down with €1M payout and a deep sigh (www.theregister.com)
submitted 2 weeks ago by Powderhorn@beehaw.org to c/technology@beehaw.org
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Eugen Rochko, CEO and founder of decentralized social network Mastodon, is stepping down after nearly a decade at the helm and walking away with a sizable exit payment.

"Mastodon grew beyond any of my expectations," he said. "The past two years especially have been overwhelming, and my mental and physical health have taken a dip."

Rochko's move has, by his own admission, been a while coming. In April 2024, the establishment of a US nonprofit was announced with a governing board of directors that included Twitter co-founder Biz Stone. Rochko also announced that his ownership of the trademark and other assets were headed to the nonprofit.

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[–] otter@lemmy.ca 14 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

The articles I've seen say that it was for the past 10 years of work, some amount of which was unpaid

https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/18/mastodon-ceo-steps-down-as-the-social-network-restructures/

With the revamp, Mastodon has the potential to expand its business, product, and mission, without being dependent on a single person’s leadership. It will also give Rochko a break, as he’s been singularly focused on Mastodon for the past 10 years.

Going forward, Rochko will continue contributing to Mastodon as an adviser. He has also been compensated with a one-time payment of €1 million, given that he took less than a fair market salary over the years while building Mastodon.

I don't have insight into the decision making process that went into deciding on that amount, maybe it's less than what he should have been compensated for, maybe it's more. But it sounds like they reached that decision amicably